With the all-important Celebration right around the corner, they couldn’t risk getting a citation. They couldn’t risk even being looked at. Apparently they weren’t having trouble getting through DQP until DQP started getting serious.

Ok, I understand that DQP can be a subjective decision. I understand that the scar rule is kinda controversial, and I understand why. I understand that there have been people cited that probably weren’t guilty.

Too bad, I say.

I don’t think that DQP should be cleaned up. Why spend money to develop better ways to catch cheaters. There will ALWAYS be cheaters. That’s the nature of sports (unfortunately). There is only one reason that this type of cheating exists. As long as Performance Walking Horse classes exist, as long as judges give out blue ribbons to these UNnaturally gaited horses, trainers will continue to sore.

Rather than figure out a way to catch and punish cheaters, get to the root of the problem. Remove the reason for cheating. Eliminate Performance classes, start giving ribbons to horses that are doing the best natural gait possible. Show the world what The Walk is supposed to look like.

Sure, there will always be cheating, but the high-stepping gait being showcased these days is out of control. Why would almost 500 competitors be afraid to face inspection? This is a huge wake-up call for the USDA to be on notice at this year’s National Celebration.

2 Responses

Wow, that’s a lot of entries to disappear so quickly. I agree with you 100%, the natural walking horse and rider combinations should be rewarded while the unnatural gaited classes should be taken out of the shows. How can these people profess to care about their horses when they are soring their horses and more just to win a ribbon. It’s just as bad as what they are doing in dressage with ‘Rollkur’, I think it’s a shame to subject horses to all these obviously unnatural practices, simply to get a ribbon,sponsor,money, name recognition….